BANGALORE: INDIA: Inventus Capital Partners, a US-India venture firm, launched its operations today by investing US $125 million venture fund targeting early-growth Indian companies.

The investments will be made in technology-powered companies that addresses high-growth global and local markets. The firm plans to invest US $1-10 million in 15-20 early-growth companies over the next few years.

Speaking on the occasion, John Dougery, managing director, Inventus Capital Partners said that the 90 percent of the fund was raised from global institutional investors. The firm will be investing in the equity of startup companies for a period of three to five years.

He said that the idea behind the fund was to give a push to the startup companies who often lack adequate funding. "Apart from investing in the companies, we will also mentor them until a stage were the respective companies can go for and IPO," he said.

Kanwal Rekhi, entrepreneur and mentor, said this was a special fund for India startups. He added: "Young entrepreneurs, who set on a journey, need funding. We will definitely mentor them and ensure that the investment is used in the right direction."

He said that across India he saw many similarities with the emergence of Indo-American entrepreneurs in Silicon valley. "Our success in mentoring entrepreneurs is directly relevant to the needs of India entrepreneurs, particularly given the strong ongoing ties with Silicon Valley," Kanwal added.